BUTTE — The Butte Miners are heading back to state with plenty of momentum after storming past Belgrade in the district championship.
The Miners piled up four runs in the first inning en route to a run-rule 12-0 victory over the Bandits to claim the South A District title on Sunday afternoon at 3 Legends Stadium.
Butte will be the No. 1 seed of the South at the State A Tournament in Belgrade this week. The Bandits were given an automatic berth since they are the host team.
Belgrade scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning in the third place game against Gallatin Valley — the defending State A champion — to advance to the title game and end the Outlaws season. That victory sent both Belgrade and Butte to state, making seeding the main prize up for grabs in the district title game.
The Miners — which have dropped just one conference game all season — went 3-0 at the South A tournament, posting a 7-0 victory against the Bozeman Bucks A team on Friday and a five-inning 15-5 win over Gallatin Valley in Saturday's undefeated semifinal.
